Wowzers! MIRIAM, of Kung Fu Knitting, YOU ROCK! I sooooooo love the Yarn-Aboard II package (Explorer: Sir Francis Drake) I
got from her. Everything was SO perfect and its as if she knew me like a
sister.I love the Koigu yarn--great mellow colors and I am playing around with
different stitches and sock ideas right now (okay not RIGHT NOW, but
while commuting to school on the train and other free moments). The
sock patterns are great ("Walking Away" from Fiber Trends).The fair trade certified chocolate--Ithaca Fine Chocolates' Art Bar--is delicious and the little art
piece (inside the wrapper) makes a great bookmark. The coffee is yummy and I've drank it
each morning since I recieved it. Also, I like the idea that it came
from the Ingoboka Cooperative in Rwanda. SO socially responsible and thoughtful!
The pics on the postcards are making me wish I could visit those places
and that I had more money and time to backpack and camp.

And the
"Gimme Coffee!" stickers have already been assigned their rightful places on a Nalgene water
bottle and a travel coffee cup! Miriam, Ms. Kung Fu Knitter, you rock like both Elvis and Nietzsche! Thank
you!

Definitely need to learn how to do toe-up socks as it is quite likely that I'll not have quite enough yarn to finish the second sock. I'm seeing these socks as ending up as fraternal twins--one entirely the same yarn colorway(as pictured above), while the other will have a different colored toe. I'll just call them my Camper Socks in honor of Camper Shoes' Twins line, just like their maryjanes below:

*I think I am jonesing for a new pair of shoes--must be fall back-to-school time. Next up will be my lusting over clicker pencils, smooth lined-paper, and a great way to organize my mind.

Now, I'm off to (not) deal with my second-sock syndrome by knitting a ballband washcloth.

I am working on a pair of socks with some of the yarn sent to me by my swap angels from the Dye-O-Rama exhchange. This turquoise yarn came from Laurie of MooKittyKnitting and it is turning out really pretty. The blue changes are really subtle up close, but from a distance allows for a slight stripey-effect. I am thinking that these socks will be for me as turquoise is one of my fave bright colors.

I'm also thinking that they might look cute in this pair of Dansko shoes. Or not. Nevertheless, comfortable, but cute shoes are on the list for fall back-to-school purchases as I will be substituting my bubuschka off this fall semester and need shoes I can spend the day in on my feet. I know they'll cost me an arm and a leg, but Dankso shoes last forever and really are great for the body. This last spring semester I really screwed up my feet wearing too many high heels too often, so this year I'll be all "orthopedic nurse". (Style: Dansko's Giselle)

Unfortunately, I broke another needle in the process of making these socks:

I definitely see a future investment in some Superman needles--that is, needles made of steel. Elann has some Addi Steel Double Points--anybody ever use them?

Needles- Addi Bamboo size 2. The pattern calls for size 3 needles but the yarn knits up better on size 2 and I have small feet. The downer: this is the second needle cracked or broken of these Addi bamboos.

Miscellany: I chose this pattern because I was becoming totally burnt on making Noro Mitered Squares and wanted to do something that required more brain cells, but not too many. I also wanted some quick gratification. This simple sock pattern is turning out to be the perfect panacea.

I decided that I'd take pics of the booty I am sending to my secret pal
for the SP8 "big reveal" since I spent a little bit o' time working on
the "wrapping"--that is, the sewn bags for the gifts. My pal will be
getting two skeins (sock yarn) of my favorite HollYarns colorway
Patagonia which is currently tucked into the bag pictured to the left
of it:To continue the theme (within the bags, clearly not the pattern of fabric of the bags ; >) I have included rosemary foot and leg lotion, a "pedicure on the go" set, and a bottle of nice pink nail polish. Hopefully she'll be pleased!!

I got my package for Mason Dixon SwapCloth from Donna at Creative Controller.
Donna happens to have an exciting job as an air traffic controller in
Australia. I don't imagine she gets much knitting done while working!
Anyhoo, I gasped in joy when I pulled out the beautiful washcloths she
knitted; they are so soft and so gorgeous. And the koala measuring
tape--too cute! She must have read on my blog (or at least my mind) how
often I am known to misplace measuring tapes! Perfect adjunct gift! I
am so happy, happy, happy! Thank you so much, Donna.

Zoe was rather intrigued by the smell of Australia and prevented me from getting a cat-free pic for an entire two minutes. What does she smell? Some good dinner cooking on Donna's stove? A real koala or kangaroo? A nice soap? Who knows--I just know she loved the washcloths, too!

The forecast for my knitting calls for, of course, a "million-gazillion" more mitered Noro squares; beyond that I've a few projects in mind:

Funky Mamasita's (my mom's) birthday is coming up at the end of September and I think she'll be getting a pair of handknit socks. I think the Lorna's Laces socks I was working on for Sockpaloooza will be coming out of purgatory for their grand finish and gifting [pic 1 from left].

A scarf, by gods, another scarf! I have a history with knitting scarves because I am usually freezing my bubuschka off in the winter (and the fall and spring) and a scarf makes a huge difference in body warmth for me. A quick count of the scarves I have nets: 9 handknitted by me; 2 knitted by either a machine or human, but bought at a store; 3 silk or chiffon scarves. Yep, that's a lot of scarves! Anyways, after I lusted and lusted for fifteen minutes over some yarn my dear friend B. was making a Kitty Pi with she kindly gave it to me (3balls!; in return, I will be giving her some HollYarns Patagonia colorway sock yarn after my next round with the dye vats). I just love the luster and glow of this yarn and its wonderfully fall-ish orange [pic 2]. Yum! Yum! I think it will end up being an Irish Hiking Scarf.

My lovely Secret Pal, "Jane Doe", sent me a gift certificate for Knit Picks and I think I've finally decided to use it to buy Alpaca Cloud to make the Trellis Scarf from the Spring 2006 edition of Interweave Knits [pic 3]. I think I will also use the gift certificate to splurge on a gadget (?) that Knit Picks sells, the magnet board, line magnifier, and folding stand. I have a hard time reading charts and hopefully this will help.

I have to admit I am not enjoying working with cotton yarn. I feel like I am wrestling an alligator whenever I pick up my knitting needles to work on my ballband washcloths for the Mason Dixon SwapCloth. I
first thought that it was the bamboo needles that made me loath
knitting with cotton, but it seems to be a similar case with using
metal needles. Nevertheless, progress has been made and contrary to the pictured evidence, I am almost done with this ballband washrag:

Bum deal, my not liking knitting with cotton because I was really thinking I would love to make a cotton blanket for my bed using some sort of cotton--maybe something denim-ish like Rowan's Denim. I don't know if this will make sense to anybody besides myself, but I like the weight of the cotton washcloths and it seems to me that an entire sleeping blanket made of cotton would just be perfectly weighty.

LivingYippee! On my last day of summer work (Aug. 16), I found out that I don't have to return to work till September 5th. Unfortunately, school starts on August 29th, but nevertheless that's almost three weeks vacation and, I might add, a much needed vacation. So I've been busy with listening to talk radio (either NPR or KGO 810) and watching the Sopranos (starting from season 1) while either knitting or sewing. I think that I've sort of overdosed on the Sopranos because I couldn't help but think "Mafia" when I bought this canned coffee, Hello Boss:

Unfortunately, I didn't use her xerox reproducible pattern in the back of the book and my pattern turned out funky and wonky when sewn up into an actual mitt. So I'll have to find me a Kinko's to do the reproduction at +400% and try again. I keep reminding myself that it is all part of the learning process.

Knitting

Knitting continues with the Noro Mitered square blanket. When I find myself burnt on making squares, I repeat the Mason Dixon mantra: "Remember: No project is too ambitious if you crave the result enough." And I indeed do crave the result, especially on cooler evenings like tonight's whereupon in my mind's eye I can imagine curling up in one of my armchairs, wrapped in my Noro Blanket with a pair of needles in my hands and my cats beside me.

As of today, I am working on #34 of my 80 total squares necessary for a 4 foot by 5 foot Noro Silk Garden Mitered Square Throw Blanket. Pictured below is 27 of 80. Slow progress, but progress nontheless, right?

The Down-and-Dirty Details:~Needles: Size 7 Crystal Palace Bamboo Circulars *I've found that I am most fond of using circular needles because it almost eliminates the possibility of me poking my seatmates on BART.

~Yarn: Noro Silk Garden-millions and millions of skeins, or so it seems.

Cast on 56 stitches (placing marker between stitches 26 and 27)

Knit first row

Knit 24 stitches of second row, (k2tog) twice, knit 24 stitches

Knit third row

And on all even rows following, knit till 2 stitches before the marker and then knit those two stitches together and the the two stitches following the marker together.